Dronestagram adds some reality to drone strikes

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For many people, it’s hard to see drone strikes as a real thing. A robot, controlled by someone at a significant distance, delivers an attack on a place you have likely never heard of nor been to. Avoiding the right or wrong of the situation, it takes the idea of “out of sight, out of mind” to an almost video game-like perspective. James Bridle has decided to do his part to help make the places being struck by drone attacks feel more real with his project, Dronestagram.

Using popular photo publishing services like Instagram and Tumblr, Bridle has taken Google Maps photos and paired them with the information available on drone strikes that happen throughout the world. The information comes from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, with details filled in by local information and Wikipedia entries. The idea is to show that these places that are being hit are real, to show that people live there, and to make sure everyone is aware of just how frequent these strikes are happening.

Dronestagram is a clever use of public technologies to help raise awareness. Neither the UK nor the US make their drone flights available to the public, due largely to the desire to make sure the drones are effective in their jobs. Unfortunately, this lack of information makes it easy to see the use of unmanned drones as attack vehicles in an almost casual light. If you don’t see or hear anything about the strikes, there’s no reason to assume they are happening on a regular bases.

Read more about James Bridle and the Dronestagram project on his website.